


Friends

by welpherewer



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28867776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/welpherewer/pseuds/welpherewer
Summary: Takes place toward the end of season 2 where y/n stays with Billy after he’s knocked out while the kids and Steve leave to close the gate. Might continue into season 3 bc our boys deserve better!!
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Reader, Steve Harrington/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

You were in the middle of explaining your plan to Steve and the kids, when you heard a car speeding down the road. You ran to the window.  
“It’s coming this way. I can’t tell who it is-”  
“It’s my brother,” Max said appearing beside you, “He can’t know I’m here. He’ll kill me,” she turned to Lucas, “He’ll kill us.”  
You rolled your eyes. You didn’t particularly like Billy, but you weren’t afraid of him. “Over my dead body,” you said, walking toward the door.   
“Whoa there y/n,” Steve caught your wrist and spun you into his chest. You tried to hide your blush. “I’ll go talk to him. Tell him no one’s here. He’ll go away,” he said.   
“He hates you Steve. If you go out there, he’s just gonna feel like he has more to prove. Let me go,” you reasoned, but Steve was already making his way out of the door.  
He signaled for you and the kids to hide. You pulled them away from the windows but they ran right back up to them, curious to see what would happen next. 

You could hear Steve talking outside.  
“Yeah it’s me, don’t cream your pants”  
You giggled at the nonchalance in Steve’s voice, and Max looked at you disapprovingly.  
“It’s funny!” you whispered defensively.  
“This is not funny!” she harshly whispered back, “You have no idea what Billy’s capable of.”  
You rolled your eyes again, but focused on the scene in front of you. Steve had stepped off the porch, closer to Billy. The kids strained to see him and poked their heads over the window sill. You noticed Billy at the exact moment he noticed you and you hurriedly told the kids to get down, but it was too late.  
Steve looked back at you, and you tried to relay an “I’m so sorry” message with your eyes. Before he could even turn back, Billy pushed him down and kicked him in the stomach.  
Instantly, you were on your feet and making your way toward the door, but Billy was faster. He kicked open the door and stopped for a second, surprised to really see you, but his gaze fell to Lucas and his eyes glowed with anger.  
You stood in front of the boy and held up your hand.   
“Billy, I swear to god-”  
“Out of my way y/l/n,” Billy said as he pushed you aside, but you moved right back into your place between the two.  
“You’re gonna hit a kid Billy? Really? Is that gonna make you feel like a big strong m-”  
“y/n don’t.” Max pleaded.  
“No it’s okay Max. Why don’t we let y/l/n here finish what she has to say? And then maybe she’ll let me say what I want to say. Sounds fair to me.”  
You stayed silent, only because you sensed the desperation in Max’s voice.  
“Oh, was that all then? Good. Now.” he moved closer to you, and you involuntarily backed away. “You and you,” he turned to Lucas, “need to stay away from Maxine. STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER”.  
You didn’t even have time to think of your next move before Billy grabbed Lucas and held him up in the air. Luckily, Lucas was smart enough to kick Billy straight in the balls and make his escape toward you. You sheltered the kids behind you when you noticed Steve walking back in.  
“You’re so dead Sinclair,” Billy muttered, recovering quickly. He turned to face Lucas where he hid behind you.  
“No, you are,” Steve said, catching Billy off guard. Steve punched Billy in the face and Billy responded almost jovially. As tough as you liked to act, his behavior sent chills down your spine.  
Billy kept laughing, “I’ve been waiting to meet this King Steve everyone’s been telling me so much about!”  
He was trying to provoke Steve into doing something reckless, but you knew Steve would never fall for that. “Get. Out.” he simply said, and for a second you thought Billy would just leave, but then you also didn’t know Billy too well.  
Billy threw a punch, but Steve dodged it and hit back just as quickly, making contact with the side of Billy’s face.   
You silently cheered for Steve, but moved to mitigate the situation. Steve continued to throw punches, backing Billy up into the kitchen sink. You hadn’t even seen Billy reach for a plate before you saw it connect with Steve’s face. Billy followed Steve into the living room, attempting to hit him any chance he got.  
“Billy stop! What the fuck is wrong with you!”  
Your cries went unheard and Billy grabbed Steve by his collar. “No one tells me what to do.”  
And just as fast as everything was playing out, Billy had Steve pinned to the floor and was throwing punches left and right. You found yourself desperately trying to pull Billy off of Steve, as he got bloodier and bloodier before you.   
“Please Billy stop! Please, you’re gonna kill him!” you begged. Suddenly you understood Max’s fear, knowing you weren’t strong enough to deter the brute of a man in front of you and the real damage he could do.   
As you kept trying to pry Billy off of Steve, Max had picked up a needle and jammed it into Billy’s neck. He got up suddenly, and you turned your attention to Steve. He looked awful, but you were thankful he was still breathing. You could hear Billy mumbling in the background but you paid him no mind, too busy using your jacket to clean up the blood on Steve’s face.  
You did hear Max shouting, “SAY YOU UNDERSTAND! SAY IT!” Billy mumbled something back to her and Max dropped the bat in her hand, opting to grab Billy’s keys instead.  
“Max sweetie, you are a badass, and I fully support whatever you have planned, but we have to get Steve cleaned up and bandaged now.” you ordered, “Mike, get me a washcloth. Dustin, the first aid kit.”  
The boys got you what you asked for and you spent the next few minutes cleaning up Steve’s cuts. It wasn’t as bad as it looked, thankfully.  
“He’ll be okay,” you decided. “I can’t say the same for Billy though, what did you use on him?”  
Max scoffed, “He’ll be fine, let’s go. We’ve got to get Steve into the car.”

The five of you gently placed Steve into the backseat of Billy’s car.  
“Who’s driving?” you asked.  
“Umm you, obviously,” Max responded.  
“I don’t think so. This car only holds 5 people, and one of us has to stay with your asshole brother. I don’t think any of you wanna be left behind with him when he wakes up?”  
The kids all shook their heads.  
“That’s what I thought,” you sighed. “I’ll need your help putting Billy in my car. I don’t wanna stay here in case another one of those demodogs shows up, and I won’t leave Billy here in case they do either.”  
Max nodded thankfully. She seemed less angry now.  
“Then I think Max should drive over to the tunnels. Hopefully Steve wakes up in that time, but if not, I’ll head over there after I drop Billy back at his house.”  
“Wait, you can’t,” Max said suddenly.  
“I can’t…?”   
“You can’t take Billy back to our parents! He came here looking for me. If he shows up without me, his dad’ll- I mean- just- you can’t. Please. Promise me.”  
“Okay, okay. I promise. I’ll just leave him at mine and meet up with you guys in the tunnels.” The boys seem to agree on the plan but Max is still hesitant. You pick up on it.  
“What’s up Max?”  
“I just- I don’t actually know how whatever I injected him with is gonna affect him. Would you just- maybe…”  
Your eyes widen in understanding. “Oh no. There is no way in hell I’m babysitting your piece of shit brother while you guys are off doing god knows what!”  
Max argues back, “Well then we might as well just leave him here, because if you left him at yours and those drugs kill him, then none of this will make any difference.”  
You groan and cave, “They won’t, considering Will’s been injected with that stuff a few times now and Billy’s like three times his size, but fine. Only for you,” you pause, “I guess... I’ll see you guys when I see you guys.”  
The kids help drag Billy into your smaller 2-person car. He’s a fair bit heavier than Steve but it takes no time with the 5 of you working together.   
You hug the kids tightly, scared of what’s to come. You quickly duck your head into the car to look at Steve, your slightly bruised knight in shining armor. He looks troubled and you reach out to brush his hair with your fingers. His expression softens, and suddenly you want so badly to kiss him, but you know there are more important things to worry about. You pull your head back out of the car and give Max one final hug before watching them drive away.

You get into your own car and look at the person next to you in the passenger seat. Billy looks calm for once in his life and, as you drive toward your own home, you hope to God he doesn’t wake up anytime soon.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive home took exactly 26 minutes, and Billy hadn’t even stirred. He had been breathing though. You’d been watching for the slight rise and fall of his chest your entire ride home. Yet, as you sat parked in the driveway, you began to worry. The biggest issue you faced now was whether to wake Billy up. I mean, you had to, at some point. There was no way you’d be able to carry him into your house, and even if you could, you wouldn’t be able to carry him up the flight of stairs into the guest room. 

“Billy?” you said softly, and then a little louder, “Billy, wake up”. No response. You thought about slapping him. God knows he deserved it, but you didn’t want to set him off like Steve did at the Byers’. You tap his shoulder, and then decide to gently shake it. He opens his eyes slightly and groans..  
“Billy! Are you feeling-” but before you could finish his sentence he was knocked back out. You sighed and settled back into your seat, thinking about how you ended up in this situation.

It was Max, actually, who had called you at your house from the Byers’ phone. You bonded together at the arcade and when you found out she was going to Hawkins Middle, you pointed her in the direction of Jonathan Byers’ younger brother and his friends. They were cool for their age, and you thought she’d fit right in with them. Little did you know, they managed to find her themselves. She told you all about it when she ran into you again at the diner where you worked. You offered her a milkshake and some fries, and she kept coming back for more. Eventually, the two of you became as close as sisters, which was nice, considering you had no actual siblings of your own. So obviously when she called, you came running. Finding Steve there, with the rest of the kids, was a nice surprise.

Max told you she had a brother your age and you were eager to get to know him, until you did. Billy seemed to have, what your mom called, a mean spirit. He was always picking fights, provoking people, or shamelessly hitting on girls. He had even hit on you until he realized who you were. Yes, one day you made the mistake of surprising a sick Max with chicken noodle soup and teen magazines when she missed one of your diner dates. Billy had answered the door.  
“Well well well, y/l/n, isn’t this a nice surprise? To be honest, I’m a little busy tonight, but I could be free if you came back tomor-”  
You cut him off, “Actually, I’m here to see Max.”  
“Max? Why the hell do you wanna see her for?”  
“She said she wasn’t feeling well. I brought her a care package.” You held up the thermos of soup and magazines. Billy just stared at you angrily. “Look,” you continued, “if this is a bad time, I can just drop these off with you and-”  
“She doesn’t need any of your shit,” This time Billy interrupted you.  
“Well I’m already here, so can’t I jus-”  
“No. In fact, I’d appreciate it if you got the hell off my property,” and with that he slammed the door in your face.  
You were stunned. You knew he was bad, but you didn’t think he’d be that bad. Also, what an absolute cliche. ‘Get off my property’? What was he, a crotchety old man? You rolled your eyes and left, taking everything back with you. You learned later from Max that she had been sleeping when you stopped by. She assured you that if she was awake, she would’ve gone out to meet you, but you were just glad she was feeling better.

Anyway, that was your first and last impression of Billy Hargrove. He hadn’t talked to you since that day and you were fine with it. Sometimes you could feel his eyes on you in the halls or the school parking lot, but you didn’t let it bother you. Billy never frequented the diner, opting instead to go to the town bar, so you still got to spend quality time with Max. Everything was relatively okay, until now.

You call out to Billy one more time, “Billy, please wake up”!  
Nothing.  
You decide that maybe the best thing to do is get some sleep. You’d stay in the car in case Billy woke up (and to also assure he wouldn’t, like, hotwire and steal your car). You recline your seat and then a few seconds later decide to do the same for Billy. You reach across him to pull the lever, but don’t account for his weight. When you pull the lever, he goes sailing backwards and you fall on top of his chest. You hear him groan and then speak.

“What the fuck”? Billy hides his face in his hands, shaking his head, as if he’s trying to distinguish whether all this is real or not.  
“Oh my god,” you move up and off him as quickly as you can, “I’m so sorry! You weren’t waking up and I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry you and I thought if we had to sleep in the car, then we should at least be comfortable, but when I went to recline your seat, I guess-”  
“Stop talking y/l/n. I’m so fucking tired, I can’t deal with this shit right now,”  
“You can’t deal with this shit right now?” you repeat, suddenly angry, “Billy, you have no idea what you’ve done. You’re a horrible person and I should’ve left you at the Byers’,” You’re getting louder but you don’t care. It feels good, giving him a piece of your mind. “God knows you would’ve deserved whatever happened to you there, but I brought you back to MY fucking house, and you have the audacity to tell me you can’t ‘deal with this shit right now’? Get over yourself Billy, and get the fuck out of my car. We’re going inside.” You finish triumphantly. 

He looks at you, taking in your words and trying to understand why you were inviting him into your home after insulting him. You’re not sure if he finds an answer or just gives up but he finally says, “Okay, lead the way”.

You have to help Billy up the porch stairs. You don’t know if it’s the drugs or the punches he took that makes his body ache, but you don’t like how close he is as he leans on you for support. He smells awful, like dried blood and cigarette smoke. You hope he’ll be willing to take a shower before he gets into bed.

“Mom? Dad?” You call out when you open the front door.  
“Geeze y/l/n, you trying to get yourself caught?” Billy looks at you as if you’ve lost your mind. You set him down on a couch in the living room.  
“It’s okay, they’re usually never home. They own the diner in town and a ton of others around the county. They’re chains, so they leave a lot to- Well basically they’re rarely ever home and even when they are, they don’t really care what I do, because I don’t do anything wrong,” you say proudly.  
“Right,” Billy says. You can tell he’s exhausted.  
“The guest bedroom’s upstairs, by the way. There’s a shower up there too,” you add hoping he’ll get the hint.  
He laughs, “I really don’t think I’d be able to stand under a shower, let alone climb up a flight of stairs,”  
You sigh, “I don’t care Billy. Crawl if you have to,” you’re not as upset as you were before but you want to see if he’ll even try. To your surprise, he does. He slowly makes his way over to the stairs, grabs the hand rail, wincing and groaning with each step he takes. Finally, you pity him, “What about a bath?”  
“A what?”  
“A bath, Billy. If you can’t go upstairs, then I’ll take the guest room and you can sleep in my room. It’s on this floor, but there’s no way I’m letting you get into my bed like this,” you gesture up and down his body. “There’s a soaker tub in the master bathroom. I’ve even got some Epsom salts if you want. They’re supposed to ease your muscles.”  
“I haven’t taken a bath in years y/l/n-”  
You interrupt him, “Look, as much as I love your gym coach persona, I would prefer you just use my first name when you talk to me.”  
Billy hesitates but answers “Sure, um, y/n, but there’s still no way in hell I’m taking a bath”  
You cross your arms over your chest and frown. “Then I guess you better get walking. I know your house isn’t nearby.”

After helping Billy hobble over to the master bathroom, you tell him how to draw a bath and give him the bag of Epsom salts. He grimaced at the purple crystals in his hands. “Just use it. You empty the whole bag into the bath and soak for like 20 minutes,” you say rolling your eyes. “It could only help at this point, although…” you trail off.  
“Although?” He asks, but you just shake your head. You wanted to say that if he never fought with Steve in the first place, he’d be fine and neither of you would be in this mess, but you didn’t want to deliberately mention Steve to his face.  
“Get into the bath. You can do that yourself right? There’s a towel on the edge of the tub and you can leave your dirty clothes in the hamper,”  
“Aww and here I thought you’d be joining me,” Billy jokes and you scrunch up your nose.  
“Definitely not,” you say, “My dad should have some PJ’s that’ll fit you.” You rummage through your dad’s closet and look for the nicest pair of silk pajamas to give to Billy to spite him for his comment.  
“Will these work?” You hold up a pair of classic blue and white striped pajamas.  
Billy laughs, “I’m not wearing those y/n. In fact, I usually sleep commando so-”  
You interrupt him, “Sorry Billy, but if you’re gonna sleep in my bed, you’re wearing these. I promise they’re breathable. And also I think you’d look quite… sophisticated, in these” you laugh, and see Billy smirk.  
“Just for you then,” he says taking the pajamas from your hand. 

You leave Billy in the master to bathe and take a quick shower in the bathroom down the hall connected to your own room. As you let the hot water steam up the glass and mirrors, your worries seem to fade. You think about things logically. Steve will be fine, the kids are smart enough to take care of him and themselves. Most importantly, Eleven’s back. If anything does go wrong, she’ll be able to fix it. 

You let yourself stand in the shower for a few minutes longer than usual before you decide to step out. You glance at the clock in the corner, realizing you have no idea how long you’d been out. It was about 1:30 in the morning. Not as late as you might’ve thought but still late enough to want to crawl directly into bed after your shower - well the guest bed now. Anyway, you assess your sleepwear options and decide it’d be funny to match with Billy in your own pink and white striped shorts and tank. After changing, you walk back into your room wanting to grab your special blanket before heading upstairs, but to your surprise Billy’s already in your bed, your special blanket wrapped around him. You leave the lights off but harshly whisper his name. He doesn’t answer and you groan to yourself. He can’t be asleep already! You make your way closer to him and try again but, again, get no response. It occurs to you that he might’ve never bathed and just slipped into your bed while you were showering. There was no way you’d let him get away with that, if that were the case, but there was also really no way to tell unless you woke him up and asked.  
You yank the blanket from off of him. “Jesus y/n, can’t a man just get some sleep?” Billy sits up. You knew he was tired but you were doing him a favor.  
“How was your bath?” You say bluntly.  
“It was fine. Now can I go back to sleep?” He asks.  
“How long did you stay in?”  
“I don’t know. Long enough?”  
You stop beating around the bush, “Are you sure you actually took a bath and didn’t just wait for me to leave and go to bed?”  
“For fuck’s sake, yes, I took a bath. You wanna smell me or something?”  
“Yes.” You say defiantly, “I do. I mean you’re sleeping in my bed after all, and I don’t want it smelling like cigarettes in the morning.”  
“There’s something seriously wrong with you,” Billy mumbles. You leave the lights off as you make your way towards him, not wanting him to see how red your cheeks have gotten. You sit on the bed facing him.  
“So what now?” Billy teases, “You just gonna take a big whiff-”? You pull Billy into you before he finishes his sentence, a hug you guess. He smells clean, like lavender and his hair’s wet. That’s all you needed to know. You let go and pat Billy twice on the shoulder.  
“Thanks… for bathing…” you say awkwardly now feeling like an absolute moron. You were sure you’d catch him in a lie and he just proved you wrong.  
Billy doesn’t say anything making you feel even more stupid. He probably thought you were the most annoying girl in all of Hawkins. You let him keep your blanket as you race out of your room and up the stairs. 

You’re awoken two hours later by the sound of a loud car. It’s familiar so you hoped that Max was back. You make your way down the stairs and find Billy at the front door himself.  
“I see you’re feeling better” you remark.  
He ignores your comment and points to the front door, “It’s locked.” You roll your eyes as you take your house keys out and open the door. The two of you meet Max at the end of your driveway. She rushes out to hug you while Billy makes a beeline toward his car. “Nice of you to bring her back Max” he says sarcastically.  
You ignore him. “What happened? Where’s everyone else, are they okay? Did Steve wake up?”  
“Eleven closed the gate. Everyone’s fine. They’re all back home.” You hug her again at the good news.  
“And Steve?” You prompt. Max looks up at you and smirks. She’d gotten to know a lot about you over the past few months but the one thing she found out without you ever mentioning was your stupid crush on Steve. You only really started to like him after you heard he cleaned the graffiti off the movie theater last year. You realized that he wasn’t as much of an asshole as you thought and that he was willing to do what he thought was right regardless of what other people would say about him. It also helped that he was absolutely gorgeous with that head of hair. Still your crush on him was hopeless. He’d never see you as anything other than a friend.  
“Steve woke up! He’s fine too. He um… he mistook Mike for Nancy at first…”  
You laughed despite feeling slightly hurt that his first thoughts were Nancy. “Did he go home too?” You asked, hoping that maybe he’d pop up out of nowhere.  
“He did. He wanted to see you though,” Max adds quickly, “He was just still pretty sore after…” she trails off, afraid that Billy might overhear, but he’s too busy fussing over tiny details in his car. You frown, remembering how manic Billy had gotten.  
“Can you guys go home tonight?” you whisper to Max hoping she catches your tone.  
“It’s gonna be bad, but we can’t go anywhere else,” She says back just as softly.  
“Do you want me to come with you?” You don’t know what exactly about Billy’s dad scares Max but she’s mentioned him enough times for you to realize there’s something wrong there. You’ve tried to pry but Max assures you every time it doesn’t have anything to do with her so you dropped it but now that she and Billy were involved, you worried for her safety.  
Before she can answer Billy revs his car to life, “C’mon Max, we gotta go,” he calls out.  
You both make your way over to the car. Max gets in while you put your head in the driver side window.  
“Do you want me to come with you guys?” You ask Billy. “I can help create some bullshit story about where we all were tonight?”  
“I don’t need your help y/l/n. I think I know how to sweet talk my dad and step mom by now,” you can tell from Max’s reaction that he’s lying. She doesn’t want to go home tonight and he might not either.  
“Well then maybe you could do me a favor instead,” you suggest, “I don’t wanna be alone tonight. You think you could stay with me? Max can take the upstairs guest room, and I’ll join you in my bedroom” You try to flirt, tracing lines on Billy’s shirt. “You wouldn’t leave me hanging after everything I did for you tonight, would you?” you whisper in his ear unbuttoning the top button of the night shirt. You feel like an idiot but you must’ve done something right because you can feel the heat radiating off of Billy’s face.  
“Sure,” Billy croaks out, then clears his throat. “Guess this means we’re even at least”. He regains his composure with a wink and gets out of the car and enters the house. Max and you linger behind.  
“I cannot believe you did that! I’ve never seen him blush,” she whispers, “ever!”  
You smile but it doesn’t reach your eyes. You’re sad it had to come to this. You wanted to keep Max and Billy safe but you knew Billy would never ask for help. It pained you that he felt he couldn’t be vulnerable around people. 

Max had passed out in the guest room, while you prepped the sofa for yourself. Billy comes into the living room.  
“I thought we were sharing,” he tells you, but you shake your head. You could easily talk your way out of this one.  
“It’s okay,” you tell him, “My bed’s not very big, and you’re hurt. Tonight might not actually be the best night to share”.  
“I feel much better, if that’s genuinely your concern” Billy seems to catch you in your lie. “Look, just take the bed. I’ll take the couch. If I’m honest, I can’t even sleep in other people’s houses,” he admits.  
“Oh!” His response shocked you for two reasons. First, you were sure he’d keep trying to convince you to share a bed with him, and second, you actually had the exact same problem. Even in elementary school when the girls would have sleepovers, you’d leave at 8pm to go back home. In fact the first time you slept over anywhere was in 9th grade for a band trip and you had to bring your special blanket with you. “Well, if you’re feeling better, then let’s share the bed,” you find yourself saying.  
Billy looks at you and you force yourself to look sure. You honestly had no idea why you said what you did but it’d been a long night and everyone deserved to get a good night’s rest.  
“Is that okay?” You add.  
“Yeah,” he pauses, “Just occurred to me though, that I’ve never slept with anyone before” Billy says. You roll your eyes. “No,” he corrects himself, “not like that, I mean. Obviously,” he laughs, “I’ve slept with a lot of girls before but I always leave at the end of the night. I don’t know if I want that streak to end,”  
“It’s up to you,” you tell him, making your way into your room. You leave the door open and he follows, continuing his story.  
“When I was younger I used to get these really bad nightmares. I just wanted to crawl into my mom’s bed and have her hold me till I fell asleep again but my dad wouldn’t let her. He always said I had to face my fears and made me go back to my own room and told my mom to stop babying me. And I’d just stay up all night, scared shitless that something was gonna come out of somewhere and get me just like in my dreams.”  
You’re sitting in bed now while Billy’s standing at the edge contemplating if he’ll enter.  
You reach out to grab his hand and squeeze. Somehow you already know he doesn’t want you to say you’re sorry for him. You’re grateful he doesn’t pull his hand away, but he doesn’t move any closer either.  
“What’s the deal with you?” he finally asks. “You go from screaming at me, to helping me, to coming onto me in the car, to whatever this is.”  
“I was never coming onto you!” you interrupt yanking your hand away, “I genuinely didn’t want to be alone tonight. I just did what I had to do to get you guys to stay.” You stick your tongue out at him playfully, and reach for his hand again. When you tug on it a little, he actually follows you into bed. You both settle in and face away from each other. When you wake up, hours later, Billy’s asleep, head on your chest with his arms wrapped around your waist. 

You slide out of his grasp easily, replacing your body with a pillow. He snuggles into it as you leave the room. Max is already awake watching cartoons on the TV.  
“Hey Max, I was thinking of making waffles, did you want any?”  
“Oh you’re up, and no, we’ve really got to get back to our house. Where’s Billy?” she asks, and you’re slightly embarrassed as you point toward your bedroom. Max’s eyes widen, “You didn’t- Not with him, right?”  
You realize what she’s implying, “No! Absolutely not! I would never! We just shared the bed, and we were on opposite ends of it the whole time,” you omit the part where you woke up with him holding you. “Anyway,” you change the subject, “I’ll go with you guys. Let me brush my teeth, and you can wake up Billy”.  
“Y/n, you must be joking if you think I’m gonna wake up Billy,” Max deadpans.  
You sigh, “Fine, I’ll do everything then”. You let him sleep as you brush your teeth, trying to think of some story to explain Max and Billy’s disappearance last night. Max’s mom had met you at the diner a few times when she’d come in with her girlfriends, so she knew about your and Max’s friendship. You could easily convince her that you and Max decided to have a girl’s night and then lost track of the time. That wouldn’t necessarily explain why Billy had been gone all night too. Unless you told her he showed up at your house and asked to take Max home, but you insisted he come in to watch movies with you both. Maybe you all lost track of the time and fell asleep while watching, and then oh! It was morning already. It was a long winded story you’d have to make up but the details were believable. It just might work.


	3. Chapter 3

It worked. Max had called you the next day and confirmed that nothing happened even after you left. You weren’t sure what could’ve happened but you were glad you got them out of whatever trouble they might’ve gotten into. 

You decided to call Steve. He had come over while you were at Max’s and noticed your car was gone so he left a note on your doorstep. You tried to call him back that day but his mom said he’d gone out with Dustin.   
As the phone rang you got a bit nervous. You hadn’t spoken to him since he’d passed out at the Byers’. You knew Max told you he was okay but you felt like you should’ve been there with him and instead you were taking care of the dickhead who hurt him. 

Steve picked up after a few rings. “Hey Steve,” you said. “I got your note, I called back but-“   
“Y/n! I meant to call back. What are you up to now? Wanna head to the diner for shakes?”   
You smiled.   
“Steven Harrington, why do you always insist on going to the diner? It isn’t, by any chance, all the free food you get, is it?” you teased.   
Steve laughed, caught. “You got me, fine. Then why don’t you head over to mine? I’ll make you some free food.”  
You blush suddenly unsure of yourself, “Oh no, I was just joking! That’s not-”  
“Nah,” Steve interrupts, “it’s my treat. I’ll see you in 15.”  
You tell him sure and hang up the phone. You make a mad dash for your closet and find the most ”casual but cute” clothing you can find. You’d been to Steve’s house a few times but were never officially invited over. When you had gone it was because your friends dragged you along to some of his infamous parties. He hadn’t partied much this year or thrown any parties of his own, and you found that you didn’t mind.   
You settle on a solid white crop top and colorful striped high waisted pants. You put on makeup to match and strike poses in the mirror, feeling yourself. Suddenly, you’re surprised by a knock on your door. Then the doorbell rings.   
You were sure Steve said to meet him at his house, did he swing by yours instead?  
You make your way to the front door and open it to see none other than Billy on the other side.   
“Hey Billy, can I help you?” You ask.  
“Hey, I’m sorry to show up like this but I could really...” he stops, “actually is Max here?” He asks.   
“No, and besides I thought you were supposed to leave her alone,” you walk outside closing your door, and make your way to your car. Billy follows.   
“Yeah, no, I just- you’re right,” you get into your car but hold the door open, “never mind,” Billy says. You close your door and start the car but Billy knocks on the window. You’re slightly annoyed. You don’t want to be late to see Steve.   
You roll down the window “Look Billy, Max isn’t here, honest, and I don’t know where she is. My guess is the Byers’, maybe the Wheeler’s. Sorry, but I gotta go. I’m sure she’ll be home soon,” and with that you drive away. In your rear view window you see Billy watch you drive off. 

You arrive at Steve’s a few minutes late but he doesn’t mind. “You’re worth waiting for,” he smiles warmly.   
“You wouldn’t have to wait for me,” you say a little too quickly and then follow up with, “anymore, because I’m gonna buy a watch”. Smooth y/n. Smooth.   
“You can have one of mine,” Steve says, “my dad loves giving me watches for my birthday. I’ve got tons,” he rolls his eyes and you laugh.   
“So what’d you make?” You ask following him into the kitchen.   
“A frozen pizza,” He says, making his way over to the oven. “It looks just about finished. Can you grab some plates from the cupboard over there?” He points, “the second to last one by the- Yup!”   
You find the cupboard and pull out two plates. You also pull out some cups.   
Steve’s taken the pizza out of the oven and it looks as good as any frozen pizza would look. He cuts it up and you both grab a slice. He gets out some drinks and asks which you’d prefer. You notice he’s also included some alcohol in the mix and you’re feeling brave with nowhere to go.   
“I’ll have a vodka soda if you will?” You ask. He seems surprised but smiles.   
“Two vodka sodas coming up.”

You both eat at the kitchen island and sip your drinks while Steve filled you in on what exactly happened since you last saw each other. You finished your third cup and barely felt anything so you asked Steve to make the fourth one a little stronger.   
“You sure about that?” He asks, concerned. He’s on his second cup but he seems fine as well.   
“If I’m drinking, shouldn’t I at least feel it?” You ask   
“Alright, fine, you don’t have to finish it if you don’t want to,” he hands you a drink. You just shoo him jokingly.   
You sip at the new drink in your hand and can actually feel a burning sensation in your throat this time. Finally.   
“So it’s all over?” You ask, still sipping.   
“Seems like it,” Steve says.   
And you breathe a sigh of relief. “I wanted to apologize, by the way. I really wish I could’ve been there with you and the kids but-“  
“Hey, you do not have to apologize. I know you were just doing what you thought was right. You’re a good person y/n,” Steve’s on your side of the island now. You didn’t notice when he got so close, had he been there a while? “It’s why I like you so much” he smiled. Did he mean that how you’d mean it or was the vodka soda causing you to hear things? That’s not how alcohol worked right? You finish the rest of your cup to figure it out.   
“I-um. I- thank you,” you say moving slightly away, “I have to pee! I’ll be back,”  
And you walk off, not knowing at all where the bathroom is, just trying to find some place to make sure you didn’t look as weird as you suddenly felt. The alcohol you downed a minute ago hit you like a ton of bricks and you just enter one of the first rooms you see. Steve follows.   
“Hey y/n, bathroom was actually down the hall, but there’s one connected to my room as well since we’re here”   
“No I don’t need the bathroom,” you tell him. “I just told you that so I could check myself out.”   
Steve laughs, “Well you look fine, so no need to worry there,”  
“Fine? Just fine?” You ask slumping down on a bed.  
“Beautiful!” He says, “Is that better?”  
“Steve you don’t like me like I like you, right?”   
“What? Y/N let me get you some water okay, I’ll be right back.”   
“No that’s okay, just-“ the fact that he didn’t answer told you everything you needed to know. He had left you to get water. You regretted drinking. You didn’t realize you’d act so stupid. You threw yourself back on the bed and closed your eyes in embarrassment. A few minutes later you were asleep. 

When you woke up it was still dark out, 11:35pm said a clock on the wall. Steve was asleep next to you and you were grossly reminded of your night with Billy. You can’t believe what you said to Steve earlier that afternoon, and you were even more upset at his response.   
You were finally forced to realize that he didn’t like you as anything other than a friend.   
You decided to go back home and stepped out of his bed but he caught your wrist, just like he did at the Byers when you decided to square off with Billy.   
“Don’t leave,” he mumbled, “It’s late out. Not safe,”   
“It’s y/n Steve,” worried he thought you were Nancy, “I should go home.” You said sadly, “I’m sorry about earlier today. I-“  
Steve gets up in bed and you start to make out his features in the dark. “I know it’s you, y/n, and I like you like you like me,”  
You’re shocked by this, “What? Steve no, I meant, like, I have a crush on you,” you mumble.   
“So do I,” Steve says, “on you. I just didn’t want to have this conversation while we were both drunk. I’ve- well, I just wanted us to be sure of what we wanted and what we were saying, but I like you y/n. There’s no denying that,”   
And you remember his break up with Nancy. You’d seen it with your own two eyes that night. Nancy was drunk and Steve looked so hurt but Nancy couldn’t filter her thoughts. She said whatever she wanted to and she didn’t care if it would hurt Steve’s feelings. They left after that but you couldn’t imagine things got better. You found out at school later that they’d officially ended things between them. 

“I’m sure I want you” you tell Steve, and you kiss him, like you’ve been wanting to for the past few months and he kisses you back. You stumble back into bed with him and you spend the next few minutes kissing until you both fall asleep entangled in each other’s embrace. You couldn’t be happier.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning you had to rush home to get ready for your shift at the diner. You and Steve had kissed again before you left his house and you promised to bring him a burger when you left work.

You spent the first few hours of your shift filling coffee cups and delivering pancakes almost on autopilot, your mind only on Steve and last night. But when noon rolled around the diner got busier and you were forced to actually pay attention to what was happening around you. Max even stopped in, and you gave her an order of fries and a chocolate milkshake on the house, like always. You contemplated telling her about Steve but felt like it was too soon. 

You decided to ask about Billy instead. “How’s he doing?” you asked.   
“Fine? Same as always I guess,” she replied shrugging.   
“He’s not still bothering you about Lucas, is he?”   
“No,” she laughed, “And he won’t if he knows what’s good for him,”  
You smiled along with her, glad that she was so independent and could easily take care of herself. You wished you could’ve been more like her when you were younger.   
“Y/N,” Max said suddenly, “do you like my brother?”  
“Oh! Not particularly…” you faltered. You knew Max didn’t like him much either but no one likes it when someone insults their family member.   
“Why not?”  
“He’s just so aggressive,” you said awkwardly, “I’m sorry”.  
“He wasn’t with you,” she said back.   
“What?”  
“When you guys shared the bed…” she looks guilty but she continues, “I saw you that morning. The way he was holding you. I wasn’t trying to snoop but I thought you’d be awake so I came down to see if you wanted to have breakfast together and-”  
“Hey Max,” you cut off her rambling, “you don’t have to explain. I’m not mad.” You thought about what she asked you, “do you like your brother, Max?”  
“Sometimes. Like when I saw him with you. It reminds me that he’s not all that bad...,”  
“He’s just misunderstood?” You suggested.  
Max smiled, “Exactly!”   
“I’m glad he has a sister like you,” you told her, genuinely meaning it. You wanted him to be a better brother to her but you knew someone needed to see the good in him for him to want to be better in general.   
Suddenly you felt bad about dismissing him on your way to Steve’s yesterday. You sighed. It wasn’t like you could do anything about it now. 

Max finished up her fries and milkshake while you helped other customers. At one point a kid knocked over a salt shaker. The cleanup wasn’t too bad but you wanted to dispose of the broken glass immediately so you took the pieces out to the dumpster. To your surprise you found Billy smoking in the back alley.   
“What the hell are you doing here?” you exclaimed in shock. To be fair, it was strange. Who smokes next to a dumpster, as if the smell of cigarettes wasn’t bad enough?  
“Y/l/n, a pleasure as always,” he puts out the cigarette under his foot.   
“What are you doing here?” You ask again.   
“I’m here to pick Max up,” he says.   
“She’s inside,” you point out the obvious, “That way,” you point toward the front doors.  
“I wanted a smoke first,”  
You wrinkle your nose in distaste. You can’t help it. Billy notices and advances toward you. His eyes suddenly hardened.   
“You think you’re so much better than me, don’t you?”  
You back away but end up pushing yourself against the building, Billy moving closer until there’s only a few inches of space between you two.  
“I never said that,” you stammer, hoping you don’t sound as helpless as you feel.  
He moves his face even closer to yours, closing the gap by that much more, “But it’s what you think,”  
“You don’t know what I think,” you whisper harshly, but you look away, unable to meet his eyes.   
“So tell me,” he moves his hand to your chin, moves it up slightly so you’re forced to look at him.   
It snaps you out of your fear. How dare he touch you?!   
You shove him hard, “Get the fuck back,” you say, leaving him in the alley.   
You think you hear him mumble something sarcastic about Steve on your way back inside but you don’t bother asking him to clarify.

A few minutes later you hear honking from outside and see Max get up to go. You’re still in the kitchen, grabbing a plate for another table trying to shake off what happened moments ago, but you wave with your free hand when she catches your eye. You can’t believe how different she and her brother are. 

When your shift ends you grab a burger for Steve and a grilled cheese for yourself, an order of fries and two milkshakes. It seemed too coupley to split just one so soon, but you’d like to, at some point. You load the food into your car, place the milkshakes carefully into the cup holders, and drive to Steve’s. There’s a car in the driveway you don’t recognize, but you park on the street and walk up to the house anyway.   
You think you see Nancy in one of the windows but it can’t be. What would she be doing here? Especially since she was with Jonathan now? 

You knock on the door, only carrying the bag. You’d bring the milkshakes up later. You didn’t want to drop anything on your way. When the door opens you see Steve.   
“Hey!” You say cheerfully!   
“Y/n! How was work?” Steve seems distracted but you could be imagining it.   
“Okay,” you answer honestly, “I brought us some food!” You hold up the bag.   
“Oh shit y/n, right now’s a bad time,”  
“But I thought we decided-“  
“Nancy showed up out of the blue. She wants to talk about Barb. Apparently they’re gonna go public about what happened to her and she wants me to know the story in case someone questions it.”  
At least he wasn’t keeping Nancy a secret, but you didn’t think it was fair for her to blame whatever happened to Barb on Steve. From what you heard, Nancy was the one who begged Barb to go with her the day she disappeared and Nancy was the one who left her alone outside.   
Instead you said, “Sure, no problem”. You didn’t own Steve. He could talk to his ex if he wanted to. “Did you still want?” You held up the bag again. He smiled wide.   
“If you don’t mind?”  
“No problem,” you said again, handing him the bag. You felt too awkward to take out your grilled cheese so you left it for him. You could make your own at home anyway. Your mom was the original chef at the diner and all the recipes were stowed away in one of the kitchen cabinets. Maybe you’d make tomato soup as well, now that you needed more comforting.   
Steve pulled you in for a quick kiss before closing the door. “I’ll call you later,” he promised. 

You didn’t know how to feel as you made your way back to your car, especially when you saw the two milkshakes. You couldn’t go back to drop them off. As you stared at them, you found yourself on the road to Max’s house, but it wasn’t Max you wanted to see.

When you arrived at their house, you knew you made a mistake. It was a weekend night, there was no way Billy would be home and honestly who just shows up to deliver someone a milkshake? You were acting irrationally so you decided to leave, when you smelled cigarette smoke.   
“y/l/n, what brings you to my humble abode?”  
“Is Max here?” You ask, remembering your conversation from earlier.   
“She’s at the Wheeler’s,” he says coming closer. It’s dark but he’s stepped in front of the house porch lights so you can see him clearly, “but you knew that, didn’t you?”  
You did. She told you before she left that all the kids were starting a new campaign at the Wheeler’s that night. But Billy didn’t need to know that.   
“I don’t keep tabs on her like that,” you say, “but since I’m here, do you want to… I have an extra… forget it,” you grumble walking away toward your car, and to your surprise Billy laughs and jogs up next to you.   
“You have an extra what?”  
“Milkshake,” you say. At this point you’re at your car. You reach in and grab the two milkshakes, offer Billy one. He looks back at his house and then takes it. “Okay well that’s all,” you move to the driver side of your car but Billy catches you by a loop on your jeans. You swat his hand away and he laughs again. You like that you can make him laugh. “You don’t learn your lesson do you?”  
“Never,” he says. Then he adds, “but I am sorry about today. I shouldn’t have ganged up on you like that. I was- wasn’t in a good place.”  
“You’re never in a good place Billy,” You roll your eyes. He seems to take it badly, and you realize a moment too late that you messed up. “I didn’t mean it like that. It was a bad joke. I’m sorry too for shoving you. And thank you for apologizing.”  
Billy smiles and finally takes a sip of his milkshake and you follow suit.   
The two of you sip silently for a while. Then Billy pulls out a cigarette and a lighter but you put your hand over the cigarette before he can light it. “These will kill you Billy.” You take the cigarette from his hand and pocket it.   
“If you wanted a bum, I’d have been happy to offer you one y/l/n”   
“Y/n,” you correct. “And I’m not stealing your cigs, I’m confiscating them.”  
“I mean I’ve still got the rest of this pack so you didn’t do a very good job” he produces the pack and you reach out to grab it. He holds it above his head and you’re too short so you reach to grab it but once it’s evident you won’t get it, you stop. Huff a little bit.   
You put your hand out in front of you, palms up. “Cigarettes. Now.”   
To your surprise he places the pack in your hands. You pocket it smiling smugly. Then a thought crosses your mind and you’re wide eyed, looking at Billy with genuine concern. “You won’t just buy another, will you?”  
And before you know what’s happening, Billy kisses you but it’s over as soon as it starts.   
You’re both startled.   
“I’m seeing someone” you say at the same time he says he’s sorry.   
“Doubly sorry then,” he seems disappointed.   
“That‘s okay…” you say awkwardly, “I better get going actually,”  
“Sure, come visit some other time?” he asks. You hesitate unsure of what to make of this whole situation. “As friends,” he adds.   
Okay, you nod. You could do as friends. “Sure, if you’d like.”   
“If it’s easier I could visit you at yours?”   
“If you’d like,” you say again. You’ve never known a Billy like this one, so vulnerable. You don’t want him to think you don’t appreciate it. “I’d be happy to have you over!” You add more jovially. You think of Billy’s dad again and the reasons why he might want a home away from home… or at least somewhere to turn to. It’s not like the two of you were that close but you’d provide refuge if needed.   
Billy smiles and you find yourself growing fond of how he looks when he does. “Sweet. Thanks for the milkshake,” he says.   
“Thanks for the cigs,” you say in response. You’re in your car now and you drive off with a wave. When you get home, you dump his cigarettes in the trash. 

That night you think about Steve and you feel a tremendous amount of guilt. You hadn’t done anything wrong of course. It was Billy who kissed you and you let him know as soon as he stopped that you weren’t available. But you still felt guilty because you were worried your actions caused Billy to think otherwise. You shouldn’t have told him you’d swing by again or let him visit you, even as friends. You suspected Billy was the type who confused friendship for romantic interest and you knew he’d blow his top if he found out that your boyfriend was none other than Steve Harrington. But you weren’t even sure Steve was your boyfriend, especially after he canceled your plans to chat with Nancy. Although to be fair, it wasn’t like he could avoid the Barb conversation forever, even if you thought it was settled. 

You were driving yourself crazy with your thoughts and as though you willed it, the phone rang. 

“Hey sweetie, how are things at home?”  
“Mom!” You say, rejoiced, “everything’s okay. I just miss you and dad so much! Are you coming back soon?”  
They usually called when they were on their way back.   
“That’s why we called actually. We’re not,” your heart sank. They’d been gone for two weeks already. “There’s been some construction complications. Some of the structures aren’t as mandated and it’s taking longer than we thought to work through the issues”.  
“Can’t the franchisees take care of it,” you beg knowing the answer already.   
“They can’t. They’re new to this too, baby you know that. We’re the vets and it’s my name up on that sign. We can’t leave them like this,”   
You didn’t say how you felt. That they couldn’t leave the franchisees but they could leave you. Time and time again.   
“How much longer do you think you’ll be gone?” You ask defeated and almost not wanting to know the answer.   
“I don’t know, another 2 weeks. Hopefully less!” Which meant, probably more.   
“Okay,” you hang up as she says she misses you.


	5. Chapter 5

You spent the next few days at Steve’s house. After your parents called he invited you over to spend the night and you accepted regardless of what that would mean for your relationship.   
His parents were home when they weren’t at work but they didn’t seem to mind having you around. Your and Steve’s parents attended the same country club and his mother liked having someone around to help with the cooking. You and Steve slept in separate rooms of course. They still didn’t know the two of you were together although Steve had snuck into the guest room almost every night you were there and held you while you slept. You cuddled into him and didn’t feel alone for the first time in a long time. 

The fourth night you were there, you decided would be your last. Steve held you as you told him.   
“I think I’m gonna head back to mine tomorrow,”  
“No, why?” He mumbled sleepily into your neck.   
You smiled, “I can’t stay here forever. I’ve already been here long enough. Your parents-“  
“They don’t care y/n, I’m telling you,” he seemed more awake now. “They like having you here and they can feel like they’re doing a favor for your parents since you’re by yourself anyway,”  
“Yeah but I feel like I’m taking advantage of them,”  
“You’re not,”   
“They don’t even know you’re sneaking into this room every night,”   
“We could tell them,”  
“Your parents aren’t that cool Steve. No one’s are.”  
“I know,” he said, kissing your shoulder. “I just want you to stay.”  
You turn around and face him, “It’s time for me to go back home. Honestly, I shouldn’t have stayed this long to begin with but you’re just so damn addicting.”  
The two of you laugh but his eyes fill with questions. You answer them, “I’ll be fine. You’re still here. I know I have you, and my parents said they’ll be back in another week or so. Plus I have the diner to keep me busy. God knows Mark’s been begging me to come back and pick up a few shifts,”  
“Are you sure?” He asks seriously.   
“I’m so sure,” you find his hand and squeeze it, overjoyed to have someone like Steve in your life. 

The next morning you get ready to work a shift at the diner and pack up the few things you’d brought with you. On the ride there you think about what Steve’s mom had said when you told her you were leaving.   
“Well come back anytime,” she said, “you’re like the daughter I never had,”  
“I hope not,” you said jokingly and without thinking. You floundered to come up with an excuse while Steve laughed in the back.   
Yeah. There was no way you would tell his parents you both were dating. Not yet at least.

When you walked into the diner, Frankie, the chef accosted you. “That girl’s stopped by here everyday to see you, you know? We didn’t know what to tell her.”  
A jolt of guilt hits you. Max. You hadn’t talk to her since the last time she visited the diner.   
“Oh shoot,” you say. “Can I use the phone then? I’ll call her.”  
“You could’ve called her earlier. She seemed worried.”  
“I know. I-“ you hesitate but tell the truth, “I was in a bad place,”  
“Boss?” Frankie asked. She always referred to your parents as boss. She said it was important to maintain boundaries. That’s why she didn’t bother to ask any questions after you nodded your head. “Well, you know where the phone is, better make that call before the place gets busy,”

“Y/n! Where have you been? I’ve missed you!” Max says. You were grateful her mother answered the phone and gave it to Max without a fuss. Her stepfather always played 20 questions, but you supposed there was nothing wrong with being overprotective of your young daughter, especially after everything that had happened in your little town.   
“I’ve missed you too Max! I wasn’t feeling well so I took a few days off, sorry I didn’t get back to you til now,” you say. It wasn’t an entire lie but you’re not sure why you’re being so secretive. Max told you things about her family, surely you could do the same? You didn’t want to worry her, you justified. Your problems shouldn’t become her burden.   
“Oh that’s okay, are you calling from the diner?” Max asked hopefully.   
“Yeah, I’m there now actually. I’ll be here til 2 if you and/or Lucas wanna swing around.”  
“I don’t hang out with Lucas 24/7 you know,” you could hear her rolling her eyes.   
“Oh you’ve got a new man already?” You teased.   
“Shut up! El and I’ll probably stop by around noon for burgers and fries, if that’s cool?”   
“Oh!” You were surprised. You didn’t know the two of them hung out like that. In fact, Max had told you she didn’t think Eleven liked her. “Yeah,” you said. “That’s cool.”  
“Awesome! So I’ll see you then!” she hung up and you tied your apron around your waist, ready to start your shift. 

That morning was uneventful. You served coffee, pancakes, more coffee, occasionally some fruit for the more health conscious women that came in, like Mrs. Wheeler and her friends.   
Max showed up at noon on the dot. You knew her order by heart but you had to ask Eleven what she’d like and she didn’t seem sure.   
“She likes waffles, right El?”  
Eleven nodded.   
“We serve a mean plate of chicken and waffles. It’s a breakfast thing, I think, but we’re a diner so you could eat breakfast at 10pm and no one would say a thing. How’s that sound?” You showed her the image on the menu and she seemed to like it. She nodded again. “Anything to drink?”  
“Umm lemonade,” she asks.   
“Lemonade it is.” You finish writing down the order and hand it over to Frankie. “Order up” you say. You don’t ring up the items in the register, you never do for Max. Then you tell Frankie to throw in a grilled cheese for you. You might as well join the girls as they eat. It’s slow enough. 

The food comes out hot and the three of you chow down with gusto.   
“I love chicken and waffles,” Eleven says with her eyes wide.   
“I’m glad!” You tell her genuinely please. You knew there was a lot she still has to learn about herself and you were happy to be a part of that journey. “How are you and Mike?” you ask. “Heard you guys went to the Snow Ball together,” you raise your eyebrows suggestively but hope Eleven knows you’re joking.   
“Yes,” she says, “we did, and he is fine and so am I.” 

Okay so maybe she didn’t. Max butts in “She means how are you guys like how are me and Lucas,” Max rolls her eyes. “We’re good in case you were wondering. We’re going to see a movie tonight.”  
You laugh, “I was wondering, thanks for volunteering that information. What movie?”  
“Does it matter?”  
“Max!” You scold, “At your age it totally matters, don’t tell your sneaking into the theater to make out!” You roll your eyes now and Max genuinely blushes.   
“No I was just messing with you gosh! We’ve barely had our first kiss. El’s moving toward make-out town faster than I am!” She shoves Eleven playfully.   
“Where is make-out town?” She asks.   
“No where close to where you’re at now,” you tell her sternly. You didn’t think it was right, her getting into a relationship so soon, especially considering she didn’t even know what things like ‘make out’ meant. “Jesus, am I gonna have to talk to Mike about boundaries?” You say semi jokingly but semi annoyed.   
“I like Mike,” Eleven says.   
“I know you do,” you sigh, “I’m sorry. You spend your time with whoever makes you happy. You deserve it after saving the world,”   
Eleven blushes and Max reaffirms what you said.   
After some more chatting a family walked in and you left to take their order. You end up waiting on them till the end of your shift. By that time the girls have gone and you didn’t even get to ask Max about Billy. You hadn’t thought about him since the… last time you saw him and some part of you felt guilty at how easily you forgot him. 

You decided that you’d pay him a visit as you left work and got in your car to go to his house. Before you leave you run back inside to grab yourself two milkshakes.   
As usual you second guess everything on your drive to his house. You guys left things rather awkwardly and you didn’t even know what Billy’s definition of friendship was. Surely he didn’t think you meant friends with benefits? You told him you were seeing someone so it couldn’t be. But Billy didn’t seem to have any female friends that he hadn’t slept with or planned on sleeping with. Was this all a set up to get into your pants? Were you flattering yourself by thinking Billy was even into you like that? Did he even know how to be just friends with someone? 

You were pulled out of your thoughts when his house came into view. You heard loud yelling from inside, two men going at it with each other. You parked your car on the road and tiptoed your way to a window. You didn’t think Billy would appreciate your spying on him but you were worried he’d need help.   
When you peered inside you saw his dad’s fist connect with Billy’s face. You gasped and slid your back down the wall. You could hear Billy apologizing in between punches. It broke your heart. You sat on the ground outside the window for a few moments longer before you got to your senses. You raced back to your car trying your hardest not to be seen and then drove up to the house again. You knocked on the door as loudly as you could and Billy’s father answered.   
“What do you want?”  
“Sorry to bother you Mr. Hargrove. I was wondering, is Max here? I was hoping we could go out for a movie.”  
“She’s not here,” he moves to slam the door shut but you want to give Billy more time.   
“Do you know where she is?”  
“Didn’t she go to the diner to see you?” He seemed annoyed.   
“She did, but that was two hours ago, we decided we’d meet up again later today since I wasn’t done with my shift,” Through a crack in the door you see Billy. He’s peeked his head out of his room to see who was at the door. His eyes widen when he sees you.   
You look at him as you speak, “I figured she would’ve came back here, maybe through the back door so you didn’t notice she’s in,”  
“Are you asking me to fucking check? I think I’d notice if my daughter was in my house,”  
“That’s a shame, I’d really like to see her right now,” your eyes plead with Billy who finally seems to get your message.   
You can tell Mr. Hargrove is losing his patience. “Well she’s not fucking here and next time call before you come over,” he slams the door in your face. 

You sneak your way to the backdoor just as Billy opens it. Any trace of vulnerability on his face is gone. He doesn’t look like a boy that was getting beat on by his father. He looks like he got in a fight with some kids from school.   
“Took your time to come see me y/l/n” he says coolly.   
You grab his hand and drag him toward your car. “Let’s go now,” you tell him.   
His expression changes. He knows what you saw.


	6. Chapter 6

Once you’ve reached your car, he pulls out of your grasp.   
“What were you doing here?”  
“Not now Billy. Please just get in the car before your dad starts some shit again.”  
“He won’t- He’s probably drinking in the living room now in front of the TV,” Billy says and you’re saddened at the idea that this is routine.   
“I don’t want you staying here,” you tell him, crossing your arms across your chest. “Get in the car”.   
“No, okay. Who the fuck do you think you are y/l/n?”  
You’re not fazed. You were ready for this kind of a reaction. You knew he’d push you away.   
“I’m your friend,” you tell him, “and friends trust each other. Please Billy. Get in the car”.   
You didn’t think he’d do it. You thought for sure he’d storm off but to your surprise, he gets in.   
“So where we headed?” he asks when you start the car.   
You didn’t know. “Let’s just drive,” you tell him, offering him the milkshake in the cup holder.   
Billy takes it and you see him smile slightly. “Whatever you say,” he says coolly.   
You turn on the radio and music blasts through the speakers as you go zooming down the road toward the highway.   
You’re on route to the beach. Well, it’s not really a beach. It’s manmade, there’s some sand, a body of water. It’s a playground to be completely honest, but it’s chilly enough that you’re sure no one would be there, and it might remind Billy of California. Although you’re not sure if he’d appreciate that or not.  
“Have you been this way before?” you ask him.  
“Only on my way out of town,” he says above the music. You lessen the volume.   
“What do you think of Hawkins anyway?”  
“This place is a shithole,” you’re about to interrupt when he says, “but some parts aren’t so bad. The bar,” he says, and then more quietly, “the diner”.  
You smile in spite of yourself. “You go to the diner often huh?”  
“Everyday the past few days,” he says back, looking at you, and you feel guilty. “Max needed a ride,” he says, taking the attention away from him.  
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t-” He waves his hand and you’re grateful he doesn’t need an explanation. You’re not really sure what you’d tell him anyway. You drive in silence for a few minutes longer when you pull off the highway and into a park. “Okay, follow me,” you tell him, getting out of your car and walking down toward the sand. As you predicted no one was there, the two of you had the place to yourselves.  
When you reach the water, Billy looks around, surprised. “No way,” he says.  
“It’s not- It’s not really that fancy. Like this is it,” you gesture around you.   
“Better than nothing,” Billy shrugs, sitting down. He takes his shoes off and buries his feet in the sand.  
“Oh shit, let me get a blanket from the car, you shouldn’t have to-” you’re turning away but Billy grabs your hand and pulls you down to his eye-level.  
“Does sitting on sand bother you?”  
“Well no, but-”  
“It doesn’t bother me either,”   
You smile and sit down next to him, making sure to leave a few inches of space between you. You want to bring up what happened, but you’re not sure if Billy would even talk about it. You decide to let him bring it up himself, not sure when that would be, if ever. For now, you just wanted to be something good in Billy’s life. Something good that he’d be willing to accept, and if that meant not pushing things, you wouldn’t. You’d give him all the time he needed. 

The two of you listen to the water lap against the sand, when suddenly he lays down on his back. You turn to look down at his face. There’s a bruise forming from where he was punched. You notice how most of his face is bruised up or cut, but healing. You always thought they were from fights at school, but now you’re not so sure. Maybe a mix.   
He notices you staring, “Like what you see?”  
“Not really,” you answer honestly.  
He sighs and closes his eyes. You will him to tell you something, anything. But he doesn’t.   
“So who’s this you’re dating?” He asks instead.   
It throws you off guard, “Huh?” you ask.  
“Last time, when we- I mean, you said you were seeing someone,”  
“Yeah, I am.”  
“You gonna tell me who it is or…”  
You don’t want to, not because you’re ashamed of Steve. You’d shout your love for him from the rooftops if you could, but… You thought back to that night at the Byers. How genuinely scared you were that Billy would kill Steve in his rage or, at the very least, hospitalize him. You didn’t want to associate the two together ever again, not in real life, not even in your mind.  
“Okay fine, don’t tell me,” he says after a few seconds of silence. “I already know anyway”.  
“If you know, then don’t ask,” you say coldly. Did he really know? You hung out with other guys, it could’ve been any of them.  
“Sorry,” he says elongating the Y. “Clearly, he doesn’t keep you satisfied,”  
You roll your eyes, “He does more than keep me satisfied,” you say back. “Besides from what I’ve heard, you’re the one who leaves women high and dry,”  
“Why don’t you try me out?”  
“You’d like that wouldn’t you?”  
“That’s why I asked,” he laughs and you’re not sure if this counts as flirting. “Here,” he pats the sand next to him. “Lie back,”  
“Not in your dreams,”  
“Too late,”  
“What?”  
“It’s not like that Y/N,” he’s exasperated. “Lie back and look up at the sky,”  
You relent. You scooch down next to him, your hair in the sand. Billy still inches away from you. It’s almost sunset. The sky is alive with bright pinks and purples and orange but it’s getting darker by the minute.   
“Do you have somewhere to go tonight?” you ask, turning to face him.   
“Are you asking me out?”  
“I’m serious. Somewhere… safe.” You’re not sure if that’s the right word to use, but it’s what you say.   
“Back home, I guess,” he’s still looking up at the sky.   
“No Billy, you can’t- I mean...” you trail off, frustrated and confused.   
“It’s no big deal. He’s right anyway. I should toughen up.”  
“He’s wrong. You’re a human being. We’re not supposed to be tough all the time. You’re allowed to feel things.” He still won’t look at you, so you gently turn his face toward you, “Look at me please,”   
“No,” He says looking away again, “I can’t.”  
“Of course you can Billy, we’re friends right? Don’t you trust me?”   
“I don’t know Y/N,” he sits up again and you follow.   
“You don’t know if we’re friends or you don’t know if you trust me?”   
“Both!” He throws his arms up dramatically. “Look a few days ago you hated me. Now you’re asking if we’re friends?”   
“Things change Billy. People can change and so can their feelings.”  
“Well I hate change. When anything changes, everything falls to shit.” He puts his face in his hands and groans in pain or frustration. You can’t tell for sure.   
“Not always,” you say, “Change can be good. I’ll prove it to you,” you put your arms around him and lean into his shoulder. He doesn’t say anything but he doesn’t shrug you off either. “Come on,” you tell him, “I’ll drop you off wherever you want.”

Once the two of you are back in your car, Billy tells you he wants to go to the bar.  
“The one we’re too young to legally enter?” you ask.  
“It’s fine, they don’t even ID,” but you’re skeptical. Billy may not get ID’d but your dad is friends with the man who owns the bar. He’d even come over a few times when your parents hosted their annual Christmas party. He’d definitely recognize you and rat you out to your parents.  
“Why do you even wanna go?”  
“It’s got a nice vibe, and I could use a drink,”  
“I have drinks at home,” you tell him.  
“So you’re inviting me back to yours?”  
“Well...” you didn’t want Billy coming over. At least not after sundown. You had to draw a line somewhere, and inviting Billy back to your home for the second time was crossing that line. You realized that you never even mentioned Billy to Steve, mostly because when you were with him you didn’t even think about Billy, but not telling him now felt snakey. “What about the diner?”  
“Can I get a drink at the diner?”  
“Yeah! We have lots of drinks, milkshakes, soda, fresh orange juice,” you smile back at him. You know what he means by drink, but you’ve seen Billy drunk before and you don’t want to deal with that right now.  
As if he can read your mind he says, “I don’t plan on getting shitfaced if that’s what you’re worried about.”  
“I was,” you tell him honestly, “but also I just can’t go to the bar. My parents know the owner and they wouldn’t be too happy if he told them I stopped by. Why do you want to drink so bad anyway? It’s not good for you.”  
He sighs, “it’s been a tough day, and you took my cigs. The least you could do is let me have a drink,” he jokes but you detect the defeat in his voice.   
“Fine, we can go to the bar, but I won’t be drinking with you so don’t get any ideas. I’ll be waiting in the car. Just come out when you’re done.” You’re just passing the bar so you make a sharp turn to get into the lot and park farther away but close enough that you can see through the window. “Go,” you order and Billy smiles gratefully.  
“You’re the best y/l/n, you know that?”  
“I know,” you say smugly but he’s already on his way inside. 

You watch him from inside your car, not like there’s anything else to do anyway but then you see a familiar car in the lot. Specifically, Steve’s. But what would he be doing at the bar?  
He didn’t go to the bar, at least as far as you knew, and he said he was busy tonight. You assumed he meant with his friends at his place or theirs, maybe with Dustin, but you didn’t expect him to be here.   
A pang of guilt hits you as you look for him in the building. You hope to god he and Billy don’t notice each other. You’re not sure how Billy would react and you haven’t really told Steve about your new friendship with the man who beat him unconscious just a few weeks ago.   
Maybe that wasn’t his car after all, you hope, but with no luck. You finally see Steve, chatting with the bartender when Billy interrupts them asking for a drink.   
So… they’ve definitely noticed each other.


End file.
